How to make your first appointment
The quickest way is to call 540-921-3323. Call anytime. Appointment scheduling is available 24/7. If you would rather not call, request an appointment online and the office will call you back during office hours to settle a day and a time.
If you have dental insurance, have the card handy when you call, and we can check what your plan covers here before you come in. See how insurance works here. No insurance? The Virginia Dental Club is a membership plan built for exactly that.
What to bring to your first visit
A few things make the first visit simpler:
- A photo ID.
- Your dental insurance card, if you have one.
- A list of the medicines you take, including ones that seem to have nothing to do with teeth. Blood thinners, bone-strengthening medicines and some diabetes medicines all change how we plan treatment.
- Recent X-rays from your previous dentist, if you have them. Ask that office to send them ahead, and we may not need to take new ones.
What happens at a new patient exam?
It starts with a conversation, before the chair tips back. We ask what brought you in, what has happened with your teeth before, your health and medicines, and what you would like from your visit.
Then the exam. Your gums are measured, and the dentist looks at every tooth, your existing fillings and crowns, and your bite. Every exam here includes an oral cancer screening of the lips, tongue, cheeks and throat.
X-rays are taken when they are needed, not out of habit. Digital sensors need a fraction of the exposure film did, and the images come up on a screen beside you, so you see what we see.
Will my teeth be cleaned at the first visit?
That depends on your gums. If they are healthy, the cleaning can often be done at the same visit. If the exam finds signs of gum disease, such as deep pockets or bleeding, what you need is a deeper cleaning below the gum line, and that is planned as its own appointment.
A routine cleaning cannot reach where gum disease does its damage, so waiting for the right one is worth it.
A written plan, with no pressure
Before you leave, we explain what we found in plain words: what needs doing now, what can reasonably be watched, and what can wait. If you need treatment, you get a written plan and estimate showing what insurance is expected to pay and what it leaves you.
Nothing is started on the day you first hear about it, unless you are in pain and want it taken care of. Take the plan home and think it over. A second opinion on treatment another office has quoted you is welcome here too.
After the visit, we file any insurance claim for you and book your next cleaning, which for most people is every six months.
Nervous about seeing a dentist?
If it has been longer than you would like to admit, that is the usual reason people call. Nobody here is going to make you feel bad about it. Say you are nervous when you book and again when you sit down, and we can go slowly, explain each step before we do it, and agree on a signal for stopping.
If you want more help than that, nitrous oxide and oral sedation are both available. Mention it when you book so it can be planned. Sedation dentistry explains how each one works.
Children, parking and office hours
We see children, and we would rather meet them early, for a count of the teeth and a ride in the chair, than first meet them when something hurts. Children's dentistry covers what their visits involve.
The office is at 300 Tazewell Street in Pearisburg, with parking at the door. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Questions patients ask
Are you accepting new patients?
Yes. New patients are welcome, whether it has been six months or many years since your last visit. A second opinion on treatment another practice has quoted you is welcome too.
Do I need X-rays from my old dentist?
Only if you have recent ones. Ask your previous office to send them before your visit, and we may not need to take new ones. If you have none, that is fine, because we take whatever is needed.
Will I have treatment at my first visit?
Usually nothing beyond a cleaning, and only when your gums are healthy enough for a routine one. You leave with a written plan and estimate and decide in your own time. The exception is pain: if something hurts and you want it taken care of, tell us.
Can my children be seen too?
Yes, we see children. Mention them when you call and we will find them their own appointment.